Internal combustion engine



Aug 10, 1937. A R. WURTELE 2,089,636

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Sept. 10, 1935 I N V EN TOR.

A TTORNEY Patented Aug. 1G, 1937 UNITE STS PATENT GFFICE 15 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and more particularly to engines of the solid fuel injection type.

Oney of the objects of the present invention is '5" toprovidernovel fuel injecting means for internal combustion engines.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel combination of an internal combusv tion engine valve and fuel injection pump. lo Still another object is to provide novel means for controlling the speed of a! solid fuel injection engine.

A furtherA object is to provide a novel valve Y, for an internalcombustion engine which is so T3 constructed that the same may be internally guided and air cooled.

A still further object is to provide a novel valve for an internal combustion engine wherein aprecombustion chamber in the head thereof "2b is adapted to be scavenged when the valve is in open position.

The above and further objects and novel features of theinvention will more fully appear from the'following detail description when taken in '25 connection with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustrationv only and is not designed as a definition of they limits of the invention, reference being pri- 30 marily had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views:

g5 Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section and with parts broken away, of a portion of an engine embodying one form of the present invention;

Fig. 2is a somewhat diagrammatic view, partly '40 in section andlwith parts broken away, illustrating the control mechanism provided by this invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail viewtaken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

v45 Fig. 4 is a detail view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section and 5() with parts broken away, of another embodiment of theA invention.

'Ihe novel features of the present invention are illustrated in the'drawing, by way of example, in. combination with a two-cycle, valve-in- 55 head exhaust, port scavenging, solid fuel injection engine comprising a power cylinder I and a.- piston II. therein operatively connected by meansv of piston rod I2V (Fig. 2) to the engine crank shaft I3. A cylinder head I4 having a centrally disposed exhaust port, an exhaust gas passage. I, and a valve guide IIV is secured to the upper end of cylinder I0 and is provided with av cooling. space II in communication through passages. I'B with the cylinder cooling chamber I9.

A. novel exhaust valve constituted by a hollow, 10 enlarged head portion and a hollow stem. 2| adapted to both slide andv rotate in valve guide I6 is provided' for closing the exhaust port in cylinder head Ill.` Valve 20, 2| is heldv upwardly against its seat by means of a spring 22 interl5 posedv between the top of cylinder head I4 and an outwardly projecting flange 23 secured in any suitable manner such as by screw threads to the upper end of stem 2I. A hollow spindle or barrel 24, stationarily secured to a bracket 25 which is in turn mounted on cylinder head I4, depends into stem 2I, the upper end of said spindle having a close sliding fit in the bore of said stem. The lower portion of spindle 24 has a reduced outer Adiameter and has secured 25 to the lower end thereof a precombustion. chamber 26 slidably fitted into a guide 2U. in the hollow head 20 of the valve, thereby forming a cooling space 21 within the valve. Precombustion chamber 26 preferably extends below the 30 face of valve head 201 and is in communication with power cylinder I`0 through ports 28 when valve 20, 2I is in closed position.

Novel means are provided for introducing a cooling medium into chamber 21 directly from 35 a source of supply to thereby insure proper cooling of the valve. As shown, space 2l is in communication through a plurality of radial openings 29 circumferentially disposed in stem 2 I, and through openings 30 and 3l in valve guide 40 I6 with cooling space IT and a small inlet chamber 32, respectively. The latter chamber is formed' in cylinder head I4- by means of partitions 33 vand 34 (Figs. 1 and 5) and is adapted tol be connected to a source of supply of a cooling' medium. The relative number and sizes of ports 29, 3D'i and 3-I: are such that space 21 is iny communication with chamber 32 and cooling space IIY irrespective of the rotation of valve 20, 2|. A cooling medium is thus supplied to valve 50 chamber 21 before being heated' by other parts of the engine and is discharged into the main circulating system, thereby insuring good circulation through-thevalve with maximum cooling effect. Y

Novel fuel pumping means and control means therefor are provided for injecting fuel into the precombustion chamber or engine power cylinder whereby the speed control of the engine is greatly simplified and the usual time lag occasioned by long fuel lines is eliminated. Such means, as shown, are constituted by a plunger 35 depending intokthe bore of spindle 24 and yieldingly supported therein by means of a spring 36 which rests upon a perforated plug 3l having a force t in said spindle. l l

Fuel is supplied under a small pressure by suitable means (not shown) to the space in spindle 24 below plunger 35 through passages 38 and 39 in bracket 25 and plunger 35, respectively. To prevent the fuel from being injected through ducts 45 into precombustion chamber 26 under the` fuel supply pressure a valve 4I is provided in the lower end of spindle 24 which is adapted to be held upwardly against a seat 42 by means of a spring 43 interposed between said seat and a perforated flange 44 secured to the upper end of the stem of valve 4 I. When, however, plunger 35 is moved downwardly suidcient pressure is.` built up to open valve 4I and admit a fuel charge to precombustion chamber 25, the fuel being prevented from backing up in the supply line by means of a spring pressed ball check valve 45 supported in a recess in the lower end of plunger 35.

Valve Z5, 2l and plunger 35 are adapted to be actuated from a single cam shaft through tappet rods 46 and 4l and tappets 48 and 49 respectively. The latter are shown pivotally supported on a T-shaped bracket 5U mounted on a cylinder head I 4 and are provided with rollers 5I and 52 for engaging flange 23 and the upper end of plunger 35, respectively. Guides 53A secured to the side of cylinder head I 4 may be provided for guiding tappet rods 46 and 4l in a vertical direction. e

A cam shaft 54 is rotatably mounted inthe engine crank case, the same being splined in bearings 55 for limited longitudinal movement therein and is drivably connected to the engine crank shaft I 3 by any suitable means such as by aV chain 55. Cams 57 on the cam shaft are engaged by the lower ends of tappet rods .46 and are arranged to actuate exhaust valves 20, 2l in a desired sequence. In order to control the size of the fuel charge injected into the engine cylinder for each revolution of the crank shaft and hence control the speed of the engine novel means are provided for varying the length of the strokes.' of plungers 35. Such means as shown are constituted by cams 58, the height of the lobesof which varies uniformly along the longitudinal axisY of the cam shaft 54 which, as pointed out above, is mounted for a limited longitudinal movement. Cams 58 engage tappet rods 4l to transmit movement to plungers 35, the extent of such movement depending upon the position of rods 4'I on cams 58, which position is in turn controlled by actuationof a control lever 5S pivotally mounted on a bracket 6D and operatively connected to shaft 54 for movingthe latter axially. Cams 5l and 58 are preferablyl double lobed thereby permitting cam shaft 54 to be driven at one-half the speed of crank shaft I3., It will be noted that cams 51 are suiciently long to accommodate the rollers on the lower ends of tappet rods 46 throughout the longitudinal movement of shaft 54. l i

In operation, when piston II is .nearthe top o f its stroke, as shown in Fig. 1, plunger 35 will be actuated by cam 58 through tappet rod 4I and tappet 49 thereby forcing a charge of fuel under a high pressure through valve 4I and orifices 470 into precombustion chamber 26. The heat of the air charge compressed in cylinder IU starts the fuel charge to burning in chamber 2S, and the burning charge expands through orifices 28 into the power cylinder where burning is completed, the expansion of the gases moving piston I I downwardly to rotatably drive crank shaft I3.

As piston II nears the bottom of its stroke, exhaust valve 25, 2l is opened by the action of cams 5l through tappet rod 45 and tappet 4B at substantially the same time that said piston II uncovers suitable scavenging ports in the walls of cylinder i5 adjacent the lower end thereof. The scavenging or inlet ports and associated parts may be of the usual or any suitable or desirable construction, many such constructions being wellknown in the art. scavenging air entering said ports is effective to thoroughly scavenge the engine cylinder and, when the exhaust valve is` again closed, to supercharge the cylinder with a supply of fresh air. As piston II moves upwardly after again closing the scavenging ports the air inthe cylinder is compressed and the cycle repeated. It will thus be seen that the engine of the illustrated embodiment operates on a two-stroke cycle, that is, every down stroke of piston I I is a power stroke and every up stroke thereof is a compression stroke. The fuel chamber in spindle 24 between the valves 4I and 45 is replenished after each stroke of plunger 35 by suitable pump means (not shown) through passages 33 and 39. It will be noted that ports 28 are bored in the side walls of chamber 26 at the lower end thereof, theisame being adapted to be covered by guide 20 when valve 20, 2I is in opened position. Fuel may, therefore, be pumped into said chamber when said valve is open and while a comparatively low pressure exists therein thus eliminating the necessity for the usual high pressures employed for injecting the fuel into this type of engine, while at the same time avoiding waste by preventing any of the charge from being carried out with the eX- haust gases.

To regulate the speed of the engine, lever 59 may be actuated thus moving shaft 54 longitudinally to bring higher or lower portions, as the case may be, of cams 58 into engagement with the rollers on tappet rods 4'I, thereby increasing or decreasing, respectively, the stroke of plungers 35 and altering the size of the fuel charge proportionally.

A second embodiment of the novel valve comprehended by the present invention is, as sho-wn in Fig. 6, adapted for use with an air-cooled internal combustion engine comprising a power cylinder I having a plurality of heat conducting fins 60 on the surface thereof and a piston II adapted for reciprocation therein. A cylinder head I4' of very simple construction having only a centrally disposed exhaust portand an exhaust gas passage I therein, is secured to the top of cylinder I0', the cooling space and valve guide usually employed in kcylinder heads being rendered unnecessary by the novel valve construction to be hereinafter described. i

The Valve as illustrated (Fig. 6) comprises an enlarged hollow head portion 20 adapted toy seat upwardly against a seat surrounding the port in cylinder head I 4' and a hollow stem 2l which projects upwardly through an opening in the top of said cylinder head. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, stem 2| may be formed of two or more parts to facilitate assembly. Formed on the outer surface of stem 2| or otherwise suitably secured thereto are a plurality of heat conducting fins El` providing cooling means for the valve. Valve 20', 2 I is preferably held onv its seat by aplurality of springs 62 interposed between a` flange 23 on the upper end of stem 2li', and the upper surface of cylinder head I4'. To prevent any possibility of the Valve slamming during closure thereof suitable buffer springs 63 may be interposed between the top of flange 23 and a U-shaped bracket 64 secured to cylinder head I4 and bridging stem 2|'.

Rigidly secured to bracket 64 and depending into stem 2l to a point slightly below the upper inner wall 0f exhaust gas passage I5 is a guide or spindle 24 having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the stem. Spindle 24" thus serves as internal guidingmeans for valve 2G', 2l thereby permitting the overall length ofi the valve to be minimized and a larger number of cooling ns placed thereon'. The lower end of spindle 24 is recessed and has mounted therein a pair of valves 4| and 45 similarly constructed and serving to prevent explosion pressures from reaching the fuel passage above valve 45 and to prevent dripping. Fuel may be supplied to the precombustion chamber, by means of a pumpv 65 mounted on the cylinder head, through passages 38' and 39' in bracket 64 and spindle 24', respectively, said pump being adapted to be actuated by tappet rods similar to rods il of Fig. 1.

'I-he hollow head portion 20 of the valve is preferably employed as a precombustion chamber 25 which is'connected with power cylinder I0 by means of a plurality of orifices 28' in the face of valve head 29. To further cool the Valve and for the purpose of scavenging chamber 26 thereby increasing the operating eiciency of the engine, a plurality of radial openings 66 are circumferentially disposed in the walls of stem 2|. Openings 68. are so positioned on stem 2l that the same will be opened and closed by the lower end of spindle 24' when exhaust valve 20', 2|' is actuated. It will thus be noted that when the exhaust valve is opened scavenging air entering the cylinder, as pointed out above in the description of the operation of the first embodiment, will pass through orifices 28 scavenging the precombustion chamber 26' and passing out through openings 66 to the exhaust gas passage I5. The precombustion chamber is thus cooled and supplied with a fresh supply of air after each explosion in the power cylinder, thereby materially increasing the efficiency of operation.

There is thus provided novel means for injecting a fuel through a power cylinder valve into the power cylinder of a solid fuel injection engine, said valve being so constructed that maximum cooling of the same is obtained. There is also provided a valve which is adapted to be air cooled and has internal guiding means, thereby rendering possible the simplification of the cylinder head and shortening of said head and the valve stem, adapting the same for use on aircooled, high speed radial engines without unduly increasing the air resistance of the same. Novel speed control means which is simple and efcient is also provided in combination with the novel valve and fuel pumping means.

Although only two embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described it is to be expressly understood that the same is not limited thereto but that various mechanical changes may be made therein such as, for example, either of the two embodiments may, if desired, be designed without a precombustion chamber, the fuel being injected directly into the power cylinder. Various changes may also be made in the design and.v arrangement of parts illlustrated as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Reference will, therefore, be primarily had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an engine of the class described, a cylinder, a cylinder head therefor, a bracket carried by the cylinder head, a stationary guiding member carried by the bracket and having a fuel passage therethrough, a valve for closing an exhaust port in said cylinder head, said valve surrounding and being adapted for sliding engagement with said guiding member, and a plurality of upwardly seating valves within the guiding member forpreventing explosion pressures from being transmitted to said fuel passage.

2. In an engine of the class described, a cylinder, a cylinder head therefor, the latter being provided with an exhaust gas opening, a valve for said opening, a bracket carried by the cylinder head, a stationary guiding member carried by the bracket and extending into the valve to guide the latter in its opening and closing movements, said guiding member having sliding engagement with the valve adjacent the opposite ends thereof, valve means adapted to close a fuel passage in exhaust gas passage, a valve, having a precombusf tion chamber, for closing said passage, a stationary guiding member supported by the cylinder head and extending interiorly of said valve, said member having a fuel passage therein, a pair of spring pressed valve members within the interiorly extending portion of said stationary guiding member for closing said fuel passage, and means for actuating said valve.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a cylinder head therefor, said head having an exhaust gas passage therein, a Valve for closing said passage, a bracket carried by the cylinder head, a stationary guiding member carried by the bracket and extending into the valve, said guiding member having sliding engagement with said Valve adjacent the upper and lower ends there-of and being provided with a fuel passage, a fuel plunger extending into said stationary guide, and means for actuating said plunger.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a cylinder head therefor, said head having an exhaust gas passage therein, a valve for closing said passage, a guiding member for the valve supported by said head, a precombustion chamber in said guiding member, and fuel pumping means including a plunger adapted for reciprocation in said guiding member.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a cylinder head therefor, a valve for closing an exhaust passage in said cylinder head, said valvev having a precombustion chamber, a bracket carried by the cylinder head, a stationary guiding member carried by the bracket and extending into said valve, said guiding member having a fuel passage therein, a spring pressed valve carried by said guiding member for closing said passage, and means for actuating said rst named valve.

7. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a head for said cylinder having a port therein, a valve having an enlarged head portion and a hollow stem, a stationary spindle depending into said stem and serving as an interior guide for said valve, the lower end of said spindle constituting a precombustion chamber, and means for introducing a fuel through a passage in said spindle into said precombuston chamber.

8. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a cylinder head therefor having a port and an exhaust gas passage therein, a, valve for said port having a hollow head portion constituting a precombustion chamber, guide means internally of said valve, means for introducing a fuel into said precombustion chamber, and means for scavenging the latter through openings communicating with said exhaust gas passage when said valve is in open position.

9. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a cylinder head therefor having a port and an exhaust gas passage therein, and. a valve for said port having a precornbustion chamber therein, said precombustion chamber being in communication with said power cylinder when the valve is in closed position and in communication with both the power cylinder and said eX- haust gas passage when the valve is in open position.

10. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a cylinder head therefor, said head having an opening therein, a valve for closing said opening, a guide member for the valve supported by said head, a precombustion chamber in said guide member, and means for supplying fuel to said precornbustion chamber.

ll. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder having a port, a valve for said port, a precombustion chamber having port means communicating with the interior of said cylinder, means for supplying fuel to said precombustion chamber, and means for simultaneously actuating said Valve and closing said port means between the precombustion chamber and the, engine cylinder.

12. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a cylinder head therefor, said head having an opening therein, a valve for said opening, a precombustion chamber having communication with said cylinder, said valve being adapted to cut off said communication when the same is in open position, and means for supplying fuel to said precombustion chamber.

13. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, acylinder head therefor, said head having an opening therein, a valve and stem for said opening, a stationary member extending through said valve and stem and having a precombustion chamber adjacent the lower end thereof having communication with said cylinder, said valve being adapted t0 cut oi said communication when the same is in open position, and means for supplying fuel to said precombustion chamber. Y

14, In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having a head with an opening therein, a valve for closing Ysaid opening, a stationary guiding member supported by said head and extending into the valve, said guiding member having sliding engagement with said valve adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof and being provided with a fuel passage, a plunger extending into said stationary guide, and means for actuating said plunger.

15. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having a head with an opening therein, a valve for said opening, said valve having a precombustion chamber therein, a stationary guide member supported by said head and eX- tending into saidvalve, said stationary member having a fuel passage therein, a spring pressed valve carried by said guide member for closing said passage, and means for actuating said first-V named valve.

ALLAN R. WUR'I'ELE. 

